For the past two months, writer and curator, Mahogany L. Browne, has blessed us with two impactful poems for us Queens to enjoy. This month, Browne shares a new exclusive poem with 21Ninety, entitled: The Ache. Please enjoy below:
Photo: Mahogany L. Browne
The Ache
A fatherless childless will do almost
anything in attempts to receive approval
from the world.
A nod
or really
any sign of recognition
would cause me to put my own life in danger.
Once
I let my sister lift me
on top of both of her extended feet
in the middle of the dark
of our shared pink and white bedroom.
She mimicked a rickety resemblance of Superman
her legs locked at the knee
and me, dangling in the air
both her hands holding tight my wrists.
I lie back on the soles of her feet
When she kicked me straight up into the night’s jawline
I landed hard
a plank splintered against the edge
of our new and exposed steel bed frame.
My forearm split itself into a welcome flood
blood spilling like a song
and I swore I could hear my father sing.
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